Week 5 NFL Surprise: Broncos Upset Eagles while Bills Succumb to Patriots
The final pair of unbeaten squads in the NFL saw their perfect records broken during week five as the Philadelphia Eagles along with Buffalo Bills endured shocking losses on their own turf.
The Denver Broncos evolved from dark horses to headline-makers following an impressive comeback victory against the reigning Super Bowl champions the Eagles, prior to boarding a plane for Sunday's London contest.
The New England Patriots then traveled to Buffalo and ended the Bills' undefeated start with an impressive victory of their own in their first national television game in a full year.
Baltimore's team experienced a third consecutive defeat - their defensive unit's woes could be fatal for their play-off aspirations - while Dallas, Indianapolis Colts, and Detroit enjoyed blowout wins on another action-packed Sunday.
Denver Downs Champions
It wasn't just defeating the reigning title holders, but the manner of their 14-point comeback that made Denver's 21-17 victory in Philadelphia such a signature success.
Philadelphia had secured 10 contests in a row, 12 in a row on home turf and 20 of their last 21 total before Denver's signal-caller Bo Nix engineered two touchdowns in the final five minutes and a last-minute field goal.
The Eagles are now 4-1 but there exists a big worry about the offence, which sits among the poorest performing in the NFL. Receiver DaVonta Smith stated they are not "in sync" with QB Jalen Hurts.
The Broncos' defensive unit, which tackled Hurts on six occasions, had a lot to do with the outcome, and, together with an established starting QB in Nix and top head coach in Sean Payton, they have all the ingredients to launch a serious challenge.
The Broncos meet New York's Jets at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday.
Patriots on National TV Shock Buffalo
Should the Broncos' victory was somewhat anticipated, few predicted the Patriots marching into Buffalo and beating Josh Allen's Bills, but they accomplished it with tremendous resilience.
Their initial national television appearance for Drake Maye delivered a breakout performance as he directed a game-winning field goal drive in the dying seconds to win 23-20.
The young QB was resilient and executed the right throws at the right times, several to ex-Buffalo wideout Stefon Diggs, who delivered an outstanding performance for Mike Vrabel's team.
Vrabel was anticipated to turn things around in New England, but such a significant victory arrived sooner than most expected.
The Patriots defence contained Buffalo's offensive efforts during their upset road victory.
Ravens Play-off Hopes Over?
The season is becoming a disaster for the Ravens, who were missing multiple defensive stars as they were dominated 44-10 by the Houston Texans.
It equaled their biggest loss at home, and falling to 1-4 for the season means one of the pre-season Super Bowl favourites have only a slim chance of reaching the postseason.
Baltimore are currently 4-11 when missing superstar quarterback Lamar Jackson, who was hurt, but it is an exceptionally poor defensive unit that is the real problem - for a franchise that have been synonymous with defensive toughness historically.
Houston strolled to the win as Baltimore became the first team in modern NFL history to allow a minimum of 37 points in four of their first five contests. Their campaign is already in tatters.
Detroit, Tampa and Indianapolis Reach 4-1
Detroit's backfield tandem Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery scored six points in one contest for the 14th time - a shared NFL mark - as the Lions put away the Cincinnati Bengals 37-24.
The win made it four wins in a row for the highest-scoring team the Lions, but not one against opponents with positive records.
A more unexpected 4-1 side are Indianapolis. With their star running back running in a hat-trick in their 40-6 rout of Las Vegas and signal-caller Daniel Jones appearing as a transformed player, they will be a difficult opponent for any side.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers entered the four-win group with a mesmeric 38-35 victory in Seattle in which both teams exchanged nine scores in 10 sparkling drives before Seattle cracked first with a final-minute turnover.
The kicker kicked the game-winner with the final play of the contest for his second occasion this year. Each of Tampa Bay's victories have been secured in the final moments.
Saints and Titans Receive Assistance for Initial Victories
The way the New Orleans Saints and Tennessee Titans started the season, they needed help to secure their initial victories, and they got plenty due to several comical mistakes from the New York Giants and Arizona Cardinals.
After a good start from first-year player Jaxson Dart, the Giants committed five turnovers - including one decisively returned for a touchdown - while also allowing Rashid Shaheed to score on an 87-yard reception as the Saints won 26-14.
Arizona were more disastrous as they blew a substantial advantage mainly due to two huge mistakes.
Initially, Emari Demercado inexplicably fumbled the ball moments before reaching the end zone for a 72-yard score.
More disastrous followed when Arizona intercepted Cam Ward close to their own goal line, then fumbled the football across the goal line for Tyler Lockett to score as Tennessee ended a ten-contest slide with a narrow victory.
Tyler Lockett registered one of the most farcical scores we'll see this season.
This left the Jets as the sole victory-less squad left in the league after their punishing 37-22 defeat by the Cowboys.
The quarterback became the first player in NFL history to eclipse 4K through the air and 1,000 yards rushing in his first 20 career games as he came back from injury to steer Washington to an impressive 27-10 victory at the Los Angeles Chargers.
The running back was the star man for the Carolina Panthers with 206 rushing yards in their thrilling 27-24 win over Miami.
NFL Week Five Results and Key Moments
Minnesota Vikings 21-17 Cleveland Browns
Houston Texans 44-10 Baltimore Ravens
Miami Dolphins 24-27 Carolina Panthers
Las Vegas Raiders 6-40 Indianapolis Colts
New York Giants 14-26 New Orleans Saints
Dallas Cowboys 37-22 New York Jets
Denver Broncos 21-17 Philadelphia Eagles
Tennessee Titans 22-21 Arizona Cardinals
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 38-35 Seattle Seahawks
Detroit Lions 37-24 Cincinnati Bengals
Washington Commanders 27-10 Los Angeles Chargers
New England Patriots 23-20 Buffalo Bills
San Francisco 49ers 26-23 Los Angeles Rams (OT)
